DIY options on production boats?

[valhalla360]

If you really have the skill set, yes, some things can be much cheaper to do yourself. But be honest about your skill set, particularly for items that has a cosmetic component...I've seen some ugly installations. On a 30yr old boat that rough in general, ugly but functional can be OK but on a brand new boat, it kind of makes you cringe.

One differentiation is to look at is how hard will it be to run connections to the device. In many cases, they run wires, hoses and ducts before the interior is finished, making if far easier than trying to retrofit later.

As far as more extreme things, like ordering without an engine...I'm betting most manufacturers will have no interest in participating. They don't want their brand associated with a failed experiment and on a new boat, the public image will not be associated with the owner but the brand.

[David B]

Originally Posted by rubberducky

Hello all,

I'm fairly certain this might have been asked before (apologies in advance if it has been) but is there a thread or discussion about what options are doable by the average new owner of a production boat? For example, things that are not that hard to do yourself vs. things that are best left to the factory. The markup for some items seem to be quite steep.

There's a wealth of knowledge from the "DIY" threads but I was just curious if there was a more generalized thread.

Yes, there is nothing to stop you buying the basic (no options) boat, and yes, some of those options seem very expensive. However, some when you look into it are not so ridiculous.
An example might be a microwave - they are only a few hundred dollars if that, when you go to an appliance store. But then there are microwaves and microwaves .... Then there needs to be an AC power outlet installed for it, and a locker door comes off, a shelf installed and the unit fixed in place. That all takes time and money.

A TV is another example - looks expensive, but there needs to be a marine antenna at the top of the mast, cabling down the mast, a gland in the deck, the cabling run to the right spot, a DC-AC inverter installed to run the TV, and (usually) the TV sound system run to the cabin/cockpit speakers, and cabling run from the CD/DVD player to the TV. Again, a fair amount of work involved.

If you are looking at saving money, fine, but if you are looking for things to do once you take delivery, believe me, you will not run out of those things - the list of improvements that come to mind never decreases.

We just decided we were spending so much, what the heck sort of thing, and got the major options factory installed. That left us for the first year to do the smaller things like mounting EPIRB, fire extinguishers, CO detectors, fans, extra towel rails, hanging hooks on the back of cabin doors etc, etc, rearranging ducting etc to make better use of stowage aft etc. I suggest you don't leave that to someone else or you will be disappointed with their idea of the right place not matching yours.

The other point is, we were most impressed by the quality of the things we did go for such as cockpit cushions, bimini etc. You may well find to achieve that quality you are not saving much if anything - one off compared to production line efficiencies.

[coopec43]

David


There certainly are 12V TVs and there used to be (maybe still?) 12V microwaves.

[David B]

Originally Posted by coopec43

David


There certainly are 12V TVs and there used to be (maybe still?) 12V microwaves.

Yes there are 12V TV's (have not seen any 12V microwaves, but if they exist, they would have a built-in inverter), but you pay for them, and you are really limiting your choice drastically. Far better a decent flat screen running of a small dedicated inverter.

[rubberducky]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

I think a lot of people go with the factory options because they can be financed over 15 years. if you add them yourself they will be much cheaper but you have to pay for them when you add them. I also think owner installed option are often better installed than factory installed options.

That makes sense. Financing to spread it out over time. It's pretty interesting to hear people's experiences (both with factory installs & DIY installs in some way, shape, or form). I get the feeling that a) quality of the installed option can vary quite a bit and b) sometimes new factory boats might need some "bug fixing" or minor work done at times as well.

[rubberducky]

Originally Posted by DeValency

Based on all that I think you should be fine in running DIY on a boat. No one here was born with all the knowhow and experience. If you have the basic technical approach as you describe here and if you are happy to learn more - you’re in
There are tons of great resources online, print, YouTube and you’ll want to search before doing any new repair or project. - even those looking simple and straightforward. Boats have their own rules.

Welcome to the club of technicians 95% of the time and hopefully sailors at the remaining 5...

Thanks! The threads in this sub-forum have been pretty helpful with the discussions about issues that people have experienced. I'm taking the approach of researching installs for specific makes/models or products on here and YouTube mostly. Would you recommend any other web resources?

I've also been looking at the Don Casey and Nigel Calder books just to get a better understanding as well. I don't know if I would go deeper than simple repairs since things become increasingly daunting as the level of complexity goes up.

Thanks for the discussion, everyone. I appreciate it.

[rubberducky]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Suggest you differentiate between what is installed at the factory (usually low labor rate locations), and what is installed as part of the commissioning process, typically at the dealer docks and often high labor rates. Larger builders try to have as much done offshore as possible, including electronics which were traditionally done as part of the commissioning process.

Then need to differentiate between true DIY vs sourcing a less expensive professional (Bimini or stern arch for example). The final piece to consider is will you add or subtract value? DIY electronics and autopilot may functionally work, but most DIYers are not good about clean installation and properly bundled wires. I'm sure adding solar and a larger battery bank with bigger inverter save a bunch via DIY, but it benefits from prior planning, and few DIY installers have the experience or patience to make the wire runs super clean. It may be the first step of a Frankenstein boat, and it's sad that it happens so early in the life cycle.

As others have said, would be helpful to have specific examples of items where you have questions.

Peter

Good points all around. I just started researching options and I probably don't have a good enough grasp either way regarding specifics. Maybe just adding sun shades and A/C at a later date (pre-wired from the factory). Beyond that, I'm not sure. Are there any options that you'd suggest for 3rd party installs over factory?

I still have to go through the previous threads but I wasn't sure if the question was asked previously.

[rubberducky]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I agree with everything the guys are saying.

But you say "I do not have experience in dealing with fiberglass structures". Maybe now is the time to learn (it is not hard). Waste tanks, potable water tanks, dorade boxes, tool box.....

Maybe you could make up a watermaker?

That's true. Something non-critical like a tool box or dorade box might not be so bad. I remember reading about home-build remote controlled boats that were made with fiberglass. Maybe it's time to revisit an old hobby!